Science IDEAS Instructional Model

Science IDEAS is an instructional model designed to accelerate
student achievement in science, reading comprehension and writing. Developed
over the past two decades as an interdisciplinary, knowledge-based model,
Science IDEAS integrates reading comprehension and writing within daily,
two-hour, instructional blocks focusing on in-depth science instruction
that replaces traditional basal reading/language arts instruction.

In grades 3-5, Science IDEAS students engage in a variety
of inquiry-oriented hands-on, reading comprehension, writing/journaling,
and concept mapping activities, all of which focus on the science concepts
to be learned. Implemented through a multi-day lesson structure, these concept-focused
activities build student in-depth understanding of core science concepts,
while improving their ability to read with comprehension and, through writing
and concept mapping, to represent the cumulative conceptual knowledge they
have gained. In extensions to grades K-2 and 6-8, modified versions of the
original Science IDEAS model are used to focus learning on grade-appropriate
science content.

This project was funded at Florida Atlantic University and East Carolina
University by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of an Interagency
Educational Research Initiative (IERI). This initiative focused on furthering
the understanding of the scale-up (adoption, sustainability, expansion)
of research-validated educational interventions in K-12 settings. This Website
overviews results of the multi-year NSF study in which the Science IDEAS
model was implemented schoolwide in 12 K-5 schools.